The Power of Four
by Amber Lee1
Summary: Paige attempts to bring Prue back in sympathy of her sisters' loss.
1. Screwed Up Again

Chapter 1- Screwed Up Again  
  
"Phoebe, watch out!" cried Piper from behind an overturned table.  
  
The demon shot out a disgusting substance through a small tube-like weapon towards Phoebe's head just as she threw her body onto the floor. The substance was some kind of thick venom, which Piper had already found out could burn a hole straight through your skin. Luckily, Leo was there to heal her since she wasn't self-healing anymore.  
  
"Alright, that's it!" yelled Phoebe angrily. She stood up, ran, and kicked the demon straight in the face. "Piper, blow him up!" she cried.  
  
Just as Piper raised her hands to vanquish him, Paige orbed into the room.  
  
"What's goin' on in here?" she asked, puzzled, before she noticed the demon behind her.  
  
"Paige, call for that tube -- thing, now!" Phoebe said, loosing control of her temper. It wasn't exactly Paige's fault, and she knew that, but lately Paige hadn't been concentrating and had cost them some pain.  
  
"Tube!" Paige cried, holding out her hand. But the tube didn't appear. Piper rolled her eyes, and dodged another stream of thick, black, tar-like stuff. Finally, Piper got a clear path to the demon and blew him up with a thrust of her hands. Phoebe climbed out of her hiding place -- the dining room table which had turned on its side when she had kicked the demon into it. It took a few minutes for Piper and Phoebe to catch their breath, and after they did, they turned on Paige.  
  
"What is wrong with you, Paige? You haven't had this much trouble with your telekinetic orbing since you first found out you were a witch!" fumed Phoebe.  
  
Paige looked at them hurtfully, trying desperately to think of an excuse for why she couldn't concentrate lately, but she had no idea herself.  
  
"I'm sorry," she replied weakly. "I don't know what the problem is."  
  
"Paige, we're your sisters, and we love you," lectured Piper. "I mean, we never had this problem with Prue. She pretty much always had a firm grip when demons attacked, and most of the time, she saved our lives. I mean, we're not leaving it up to you, but we're the Charmed Ones. In other words, the Power of Three doesn't work with two. Understand?"  
  
Phoebe felt this was a bit harsh, being that Paige had had problems with competing with Prue's reputation when she first came to them. Shooting Piper a dark look, she cut in.  
  
"We don't expect you to be Prue. She had a lot more years at this than you have, but please, just try to concentrate harder, okay Honey?" she said kindly.  
  
"I'm really sorry, you guys. I really don't know what is happening with me. I'll try harder," Paige promised.  
  
Her apology and promises were accepted by Phoebe, who smiled and gave her a hug. But Piper was still angry. Prue was always there for us. Now I'm the oldest sister, and no one is there for me. Phoebe has no active power, and Paige just doesn't care enough, though Piper sorrowfully.  
  
Paige spent the rest of the day upstairs in her room, pensive. She felt awful for letting her sisters down. They missed Prue so much, and each time she screwed up, it only reminded them of how Prue could have done it right. She was only a stark reminder of their sister, Prue: Super-Witch.  
  
Night fell, and neither Phoebe nor Piper had come to see if Paige was okay. Well, of course they wouldn't, Paige told herself, you could have gotten them killed! As if on cue, there was a slight knocking on her bedroom door.  
  
"Come in," said Paige meekly.  
  
Phoebe walked in slowly, carrying a think book, which Paige soon realized was a photo album. Her face, which had a hopeful smile on it, fell. Forget it. She's not going to give me a pep talk. She's gonna show me pictures of Prue. Great, I feel better now, she though sarcastically.  
  
Phoebe sat down on the edge of her bed gently, and opened the album.  
  
"Here, these are pictures of us when we were younger. You see, Prue was our big sister. At the time, her power was the most powerful, and we got too comfortable with her saving our butts all the time." At this point, Phoebe gave a small laugh, getting lost in memories.  
  
"See, it's not you, Paige. It's just that now, Piper and I have no...safety net, I guess you could call it. I mean, we have you, and Leo who helps out. But with Prue around, we felt like we didn't have to worry. When she died, it was a big surprise, and it hit us in two ways. First, we had no longer had anyone to do all the physical work for us. She'd send demons flying to give us time to say a vanquishing spell. It wasn't nearly as hard as it is now. And then, we lost our big sister. She had the best personality I'd ever known. We weren't prepared to lose such a young, beautiful sister with so much going for her. When she died, it's like... we got a nasty shoch that said, 'You aren't invincible.' It was too much."  
  
Phoebe paused and took a deep breath. Paige looked down at the book, and glimpsed the pictures of little Piper, Prue, and Phoebe: playing, smiling, and hugging. Prue seemed to always be in the center. They really did depend on her, Paige realized. She was starting to feel extremely guilty. Phoebe started to continue.  
  
"It's not your fault, Paige, and we don't blame you. It was a blessing to have you reconstitute the Power of Three, and not just for our job, but for our broken hearts. No one can ever replace Prue, but you are just as special to us as she was, in your own way," Phoebe explained softly.  
  
Paige looked at Phoebe with tears in her eyes. The speech was touching and saddening enough, but put that with the pictures of their beloved sister, and it was just too much. She no longer pitied herself, but she pitied her sisters. She would do anything if her sisters could have Prue back. Anything. 


	2. Prue Comes Back

Chapter 2

  Paige waited until it was pitch black outside. She no longer heard the voices of her sisters and was sure they were asleep by now. Slowly, and quietly, she crept out of her bedroom, and closed the door as softly as possible. Quietly, she stood by each of her sisters' bedroom doors and listened. All was silent, so she made her way up the stairs to the attic. 

  The Book of Shadows was in its normal place. She took it over to the couch, sat down, and opened it. _There has got to be some way of bringing Prue back. I can't stand it anymore: their sadness, my screwing up... I have to bring Prue back, _she thought. 

  After hours of literally paging through the book, page-by-page, Paige sat back in exasperation. Lying back, she closed her eyes, and spoke aloud. "Please, Prue has to come back. She's needed by her sisters. Why can't you just let her come back?!" Suddenly she realized it was four o'clock in the morning and that if she didn't shut up, she'd wake her sisters. Of course, Paige had no idea who she was yelling to. The Elders? Or maybe Grams. She buried her face in her hands. Once again, she had failed. Of course, this was a slightly harder task; bringing the dead back for good. But be that as it may, she hadn't succeeded. 

  Suddenly, a large bright light swirled in through the ceiling of the attic and spiraled in the center of the floor like a cyclone. Paige looked up, wide-eyed, and started to run for the door to wake up Piper and Phoebe. But when the light dimmed, she almost fell over. There stood a woman, and not just any woman. It was Prue.


	3. Is This a Joke?

Chapter 3

  Surprisingly, Prue looked just as shocked as Paige.

"Prue?" asked Paige.

"Uh, yeah," Prue answered. "Okay, who are you and why am I here?"

  Prue looked around and finally realized where she actually was. 

"Oh my---I, I'm here…and, and I'm not a ghost! And, I'm at the manor! Where's Phoebe and Piper? I have to see them. I'm alive!" Prue cried excitedly. 

  Paige stood there looking dumb.

"I did it…I did it!" she said to herself. "I can't believe it."

"And again, who are you? Did you bring me here?" Prue asked.

"I…I'm Paige. It's a long story," answered Paige dazedly. 

  Then, instinctively, Paige walked up to Prue and hugged her. Prue stood stiff, looking at Paige as if she were crazy.

"Ok, I'm just a little freaked out now, so could you like, take me to my sisters so I can talk to them?" Prue told her.

"I _am _your sister," Paige said. "I know it sounds crazy, but your mom ---our mom --- had me with her whitelighter, Sam, and after you died, I came to the funeral and a demon tried to kill me and Piper and Phoebe saved me and now I'm a Charmed One," she blurted.

  Prue was silent. This was a lot to handle.

"Ok, Paige is it?" Paige nodded. "Ok, Paige, you seem nice enough but I've met enough evil to know that people lie, so I'm gonna have to check your story," Prue explained.

"Oh, um, that's ok, I understand," Paige said uncertainly.

  Paige hadn't realized how long she had been upstairs until she heard Piper and Phoebe's voices downstairs.

"Paige, where are you? I just made some coffee," Phoebe called.

"Phoebe!" Prue exclaimed, running to the door.

"Wait, no," Paige said. "I'll come up and get you in a minute, okay?" she told Prue.

"Just hurry up, okay? Who knows how long this is gonna last?" Prue pointed out. 

"Right," Paige said as she hurried downstairs.

"Morning!" she greeted her sisters cheerily. 

"What's up with you?" Piper asked suspiciously.

  She had forgotten about being angry with Paige. Piper remembered how she felt when she couldn't control her powers. It had been so frustrating, and Paige had the added weight of being as good as Prue, and those were hard shoes to fill.

"I have a huge surprise for you guys," Paige said slowly. 

"Oh really? That's nice of you," Piper said, "but we're no mad at you. It's okay."

"Oh, I know. But I really want to show you how sorry I am, so I'll be right back."

  And with that, Paige ran upstairs, leaving a curious Piper and Phoebe. Up in the attic, Prue was busy testing to see if she had her powers. Paige walked in just as a pillow flew across the room and hit her in the stomach.

"Ooh, sorry," Prue laughed. "I can't believe this, I mean, this is exactly how it was before I died!"

  Paige sighed. She was starting to understand why Phoebe and Piper missed her so much. 

"It's ok. Ok, let's go downstairs," Paige suggested.

  Paige ran on into the kitchen while Prue hung back, looking around, getting lost in all of her old memories. Paige took a deep breath.

"Ok, are you ready?" she asked Piper and Phoebe.

"I love surprises!" Phoebe said childishly. Piper laughed.

"Ok, enough drama, let's have it," Piper said, smiling.

  Paige left the kitchen and came back, gently guiding Prue into the room. The smiles on Phoebe and Piper's faces vanished when they saw her. Prue's eyes misted over as she ran over to them and hugged them.

"I've missed you guys so much!" she cried.

  Phoebe and Piper exchanged scared and hurtful looks.

"You know, Paige, this is a sick joke. I told you we aren't mad. What, you feel like you have to get back at us?" Piper asked, wiping angry tears out of her eyes. Paige looked sick with shock.

"You don't believe me?" she asked, her voice rising. "I spent all night trying to bring Prue back to show you how much I was sorry, and you don't believe me? Exactly what kind of a person do you take me for?" asked Paige, both angry and hurt.

"Phoebe, Piper, it's not a joke. It's really me," Prue insisted.

  Piper and Phoebe had both started crying by now, touched by Paige's efforts, and from the sight of their dead sister. 

"But…how?" Piper managed to ask.

"I don't know," Prue admitted. "One minute, I'm talking to Grams and the next, I'm in the attic. Oh, and by the way, is what Paige said true? She's our sister, from Mom and Sam?" she asked suspiciously. 

  Phoebe shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe this," she whispered. "Uh, yeah, she's our sister. Is it really you?" she asked, her voice shaking. Instead of answering, Prue walked up to them both and hugged them. Now all four of them were crying.

"Paige," Phoebe sniffled, "you come over here, too."

  She didn't need asked twice. It was the most special group hug Paige had ever been part of.

    "There is so much to catch up on!" Prue exclaimed.


	4. Together Again

Chapter 4

"Leo! Leo!" Piper yelled. "Come down here, it's important!"

  Phoebe returned from the kitchen with a tray containing tea and cookies.

"Phoebe, I'm your sister, not your guest," Prue laughed.

  Just then Leo orbed in. "What is so important?" he asked Piper. "I was---." He just saw Prue. "Oh, my---. Prue? How did this happen? What did you guys do?" he accused.

"Relax, Leo. I didn't break any rules," Paige assured him. "All I said was, 'why can't she come back?' and there she was," she shrugged.

"Something is not right. The Elders would not just give the deceased life again. It goes against all their morals," Leo protested.

"Leo, for Heaven's Sakes, can't you just accept a good thing when it happens?" Prue asked him.

"I'm sorry. I'm glad to see you again, Prue. Really I am. But I just don't understand," he explained.

"Who cares?" Phoebe asked. "Prue is back. We're all together again!"

  The rest of the day was spent talking, explaining, and asking questions. Prue was shocked to hear about how Cole had turned out, becoming the Source and all. She heard a fully-detailed version of Paige's story, and she quickly became as close to Paige as she was to Phoebe and Piper. Paige, Piper and Phoebe had all kinds of questions for Prue. How are Grams and Mom? What is it like being dead? Had she been watching over them?

  It turned out that Prue was not able to see what they were doing. This explained why she knew nothing about what had happened to Cole, or about Paige. The first "Power of _Four_" experience occurred two days later. Prue and Paige were in the living room in a detailed discussion about telekinetic powers.

"So, let me get this straight," Prue began. "You think about the object, say its name, and it orbs to you?"

"Pretty much," laughed Paige. "But I like your power. You can use your eyes _or _your hand." Prue smiled.

"I just think it's cool that you are part witch, part whitelighter." "Yeah," Paige agreed.

  Meanwhile, Phoebe and Piper were upstairs in the attic.

"I am really happy Prue is back," said Piper, "but Leo is right. It just doesn't add up."

"I know," Phoebe said sadly. "But I've been thinking. Maybe the Elders have a lesson in mind. Or a reward for all the good we've done. Remember, they sent Mom down for your wedding to make up for all your troubles," Phoebe suggested.

"Yeah, but they have to know we'll feel worse when they take her back, you know?" Piper pointed out.

"I guess we'll just have to find out," Phoebe said sighing.

  Just then, they heard a loud noise from downstairs. They looked at each other, then rushed downstairs. Prue had just sent a warlock flying as they came in. She had the biggest smile on her face.

"This is the most fun I've had in a long time!" she said happily.

  Paige was standing behind her, looking at her as though she had lost her mind. All Piper and Phoebe could do was laugh. Yep, Prue was definitely back.

    "Ok, Piper, blow him up, he's boring me," Prue ordered in mock boredom. And she did.


	5. Leo's Personal Struggle

Chapter 5

"How can you do this to them?" Leo asked the lead Elder, furiously. "This task is too difficult, and even if they could pull it off, they just got their dead sister back. Their emotions are whack, and then you're just gonna take her back again? It's just cruel!"

  The lead Elder adjusted his white robes calmly before replying. He knew Leo brought up all good points, but the fact remained: the Charmed Ones alone could manage the job, and even they needed help. And the only help was Prue.

"Leo, I understand your concern for the girls, but it is imperative that all 4 of them take on the special assignment. It could mean the end of the world."

  Leo respected the Elders, but his anger was getting the better of him. He felt his hands ball into fists as he kept his temper in check.

"Now look," he began through gritted teeth, "I love the girls. Their lives have been Hell, all for you! Look what all they have done! They've even saved your own personal life! Piper is my wife, and teasing her by letting her have Prue back for a while is not something she deserves. She was finally accepting Prue's death and you're dragging her down again."

  Leo took a breath and closed his eyes. It was true, the girls' emotions would definitely be screwed with once they found out Prue couldn't stay. But that wasn't his main concern. This ordeal was perilous. It was going to make vanquishing the Source look easy. And that had taken them a long time, not to mention they lost Prue along the line.

  The lead Elder simply bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry."

  Every ounce of anger Leo had coursed through his body, needing to escape. Without a word, he orbed back onto Earth, into the attic, resisting the urge to smash everything in sight. Instead, he sat down, putting his head in his hands, and gripping his hair.

    "Please," he prayed out loud, "please let this work out."


	6. The Cold Truth

Chapter 6- The Cold Truth  
  
"Good afternoon," Prue yawned as she sat down at the kitchen table the next day.  
  
Piper laughed, setting a plate of sandwiches in front of her.  
  
"So, is there a reason you slept all through the morning?" Piper asked jokingly.  
  
"Yes, actually, it's nice not having to get up and go to work. Still, it's boring," Prue replied.  
  
Piper nodded, remembering a time when Prue was alive, but not employed. She nearly went crazy with nothing to do.  
  
"Hey, where's Leo?" Prue asked, suddenly realizing he wasn't around.  
  
Piper tilted her head a bit and admitted, "I don't know. I haven't seen him all day."  
  
"Hmm. Where's Phoebe and Paige?" Prue asked curiously.  
  
"I think they went shopping. Phoebe feels guilty for yelling at Paige. I'm the one who should feel guilty," Piper said sadly. Prue sighed.  
  
"Piper, don't do this to yourself. You were just frustrated. And if I'm not wrong, I'd say you're a bit angry at me for dying," Prue said quietly.  
  
"Prue, it's not your fault. I know that now. I'm sorry I blamed you at first. I was just so...scared," Piper admitted, tears in her eyes.  
  
"Awe, come on. Let's not get all mushy," Prue joked, getting up to hug her.  
  
They heard Phoebe and Paige come in through the door. Their giggling and excited chatter brought smiles to Prue and Piper's faces. Just then, Leo orbed in.  
  
"Hey, honey," Piper said, going over to him and kissing him.  
  
"Hey," he replied. "I'm glad you're all here. We need to talk."  
  
Since they were so curious as to what they had to do, they eagerly agreed. Leo wasn't in a good mood; Piper could sense it. On her way to the living room, she heard Wyatt cry, so she went upstairs to get him.  
  
"Good afternoon, sweetie. Done with naptime already?" she cooed. Wyatt smiled as she carried him downstairs.  
  
Prue and Phoebe practically skipped to the living room, their arms linked. Piper smiled. Just like old times, she thought. Even Leo had to smile at them. The four girls looked at Leo expectantly. He took a deep breath and began.  
  
"There is a demon who plans to take over the world."  
  
Phoebe snorted with laughter.  
  
"Sorry, Leo. But that's pretty much what every demon wants." Prue brought the back of her hand to her mouth to cover a smile. However, Piper's heart fluttered. She knew Leo, and something in his eyes told her this was no ordinary demon. She glanced at Paige, and she could see the hint of worry in Paige's expression as well.  
  
"Go ahead," Piper told Leo, casting her sisters a look that said, "Shut up".  
  
"You'll have to look it up in the Book of Shadows. The Elders don't know much about it. The Source has always taken care of her before now," Leo explained.  
  
"Her?" Paige asked. "It's a her? We're up against a chick?"  
  
"We've been up against other women before, Paige. It doesn't make it any easier," Piper pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Paige protested. "I just meant, usually it's men who are the stronger ones."  
  
"Well, Leo, how do we know what to look for?" Prue asked.  
  
"All I know is she comes around every 100 years for another try at taking over. The Source and the Triad have always taken her out before. Now there's no Source or Triad. It's up to you guys," Leo said.  
  
"Ok, let's go look in the book," Piper suggested.  
  
They went upstairs and gathered around the book, while Piper started flipping through the pages. This feels familiar, Prue thought. As much as she resented not having a normal life when she was alive, it felt good to be helping her sisters save the world.  
  
"I think I found something," Piper said, tearing Prue away from her thoughts. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
"...Ice?" she answered, a question in her voice.  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Ice," Piper said, more firmly this time. "Ice is a demon. She possesses many powers including cloning, shimmering, ice balls, telepathy, telekinesis, body possession, and ice breath," she read. She looked at her sisters and smiled at the looks of amusement.  
  
"What is this, a fairy tale?" Paige asked sarcastically.  
  
"No, it says 'Ice emerges every century from her secret ice hollow to attempt to turn the world into a winter land. Her body is immune to extreme cold.' "  
  
Prue's mouth was agape. "This is ridiculous. I feel like I'm in a storybook!" she cried.  
  
"I thought demons were all...fiery," Paige said. "Whoever heard of a demon with ice and cold powers? What's an ice ball? Like a fire ball?"  
  
"I guess," Phoebe said. "And being that this is such a 'dangerous' task, I'm guessing we can't just melt her," she quipped.  
  
"And of course, there is no spell or potion to vanquish her," Piper finished.  
  
"Well, we haven't even met her yet, so what do we do?" Paige asked.  
  
They looked questioningly at Leo. "Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to help unless someone needs healed," he said, reading their thoughts.  
  
"Well, it makes sense that she's so dangerous," Prue said. "If only the Source and the Triad could get rid of her before, it must be pretty hard."  
  
"Wait, does this mean we'd be on the same side as evil?" Phoebe asked warily. "Remember, we worked with evil before. Cole, the Seer, and the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. It brought more trouble."  
  
"Ice is nuetral. She's harmful to both sides. You're defeating her by yourselves, so you don't have to work with evil. You're just kinda...defending them. You're defending the whole world," Leo explained.  
  
Piper let out a long breath and looked at her sisters. Just then, the doorbells sounded. "I'll get it," Prue volunteered.  
  
"No, you're supposed to be...well, dead. I'll get it," Phoebe said. "Right," Prue said, smiling nervously.  
  
Phoebe made her way to the front door and swung it open. A cold breeze swept through, chilling her. She wrapped her arms around herself. At the door stood a very beautiful African American woman. She had bright, unusually blue eyes, and chocolate brown hair that curled in an almost pretty way around her shoulders. She was very unusually dressed: she wore a long robe-like gown made of periwinkle blue silk.  
  
"Can I help you?" Phoebe asked, confused by the stranger's presence.  
  
"Yes, I'm looking for the Charmed Ones," the woman replied. "I believe they're late for an appointment with Death." 


	7. Author's Note

Hi. I know it's been a long time since you've heard from me, especially on this story. I think I am going to discontinue this one. Each time I read it, it seems more and more senseless and cheesy. Thanks to all who reviewed! I won't take it off till I'm sure, but I just don't know. Love yaz! 


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